Voice-rectifier



@No Model.)

V. CARPI.

Y *I VOICE RECTIFIER.

No. 527,235. Patented om. 9,1894.

M 153mm @1mi .775/ y @7a. fffc., LW M045@ @M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VITTORIO CARPI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VOICE-RECTIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,235, dated October 9, 1894.

. Application filed December 20, 1898. Serial No. 494.150. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VITTORIO CARPI, of Chlcago, in the county of Cook and State of Ill1nois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voice-Rectifiers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked lhereon, which form a part of this specificaion.

This invention relates to devices to be used by singers and others in vocal exercising for the purpose of correcting and perfecting stift' and defective voices and assisting such persons in the proper cultivation and development of the voice.

Heretofore various methods have been practiced in the development of the voice, some embracing the use of instruments and devices to be inserted in the mouth, but nevertheless certain objections exist which have heretofore yielded to correction only with extreme difficulty. For example, it has been found difficult by most persons to hold the mouth in an ovalshape while singinggtohold the tongue s till; to hold the mouth still; to prevent the lips from trembling; to pronounce the closed vowel o in all singing exercises and throughout the diatonic scale; to produce properly the head tones; to take short respirations without closing and reopening the mouth at every change of key; to absolutely prevent breathing through the nose; and to avoid singing on the Italian vowel a. When any of these difficulties are present it is impossible to produce a proper and perfect tone.

My invention, therefore, consists in a device to be held in the mouth by the person using his or her voice during the exercise of singing and while cultivating the voice, whereby the above mentioned and other difficulties maybe avoided and corrected.

To this end the invention consists in the` triangular-shaped mouth-piece illustrated in the drawings and herein described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of the device when being held in position in the mouth. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the triangular plate or mouth-piece.

A designates the plate which, as before stated, is of general triangular shape, having two converging sides a meeting at the apex a', and a base a2 which may be of any desired outline or coniiguration, its simplest form being the plane surface herein illustrated. The plate is made relatively thin, as shown in Fig. 2, in order not to block up the passage and muiiie the tone, and is usually composed ot' a suitable hard wood, though various other materials may be employed, and the plate may be inlaid, if desired, with gold, silver, or other suitable substance. The sides ct are provided with notches or serrations a3 by means of Which the plate may be securely held between t-he teeth with its apex entering the mouth to the extent desired.

In using the plate, which I have chosen to call a voice rectifier, it is introduced into the mouth with its apex or acute angle a foremost and lightly held between the teeth by the engagement of the latter with the serrations 0,3 of its sides a. It shouldbe entered a suiiicient distance into the mouth to engage and press down rmly with its lower side the entire length of the upper part of the tongue and thereby secure immobility of the latter as well as of the jaws. The outer ends of the sides a engage the lips and prevent the same from trembling. The proper position of the plate will usually be substantially that shown in Fig. l, or with the axial line joining its apex a with the center of its base a2 approximately horizontal. Obviously plates of greater or less acuteness may be provided to accommodate the variously shaped mouths of different persons, but when the angle is suitable the same plate may be'used by different persons without alteration, since owing to the uniform taper of its sides a2 and to the serrations a5 thereon it may be entered a greater or less distance into the mouth, according to the size of the latter, and securely held between the teeth at the desired adjustment. Obviously also by reason of said serrations the plate may be adjusted to bear on the tongue with a greater or less degree of pressure according to the angle at which it is held.

When using the invention persons will nd it necessary to take short respirations from the chest only and should endeavor to perform the various exercises without edort by IOO producing sound toward the head by means of the vowel 0. Vhen the high notes sound too disagreeably thin or Woody the practice should be conducted alternately with and Without the plate A in the mouth until the person obtains control ot the voice, cures the defects above pointed out and acquires a regular, even, extensive and round voice. To this end the voice rectifier will be found extremely convenient in curing throaty and nasal voices and uneven voices in the dierent registers.

I claim as my invention- As a new article of manufacture, -a device 

